Hurricane Michael

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North Central Health District is monitoring and preparing to respond to Hurricane Michael as it heads inland. Should public health be called to respond to sheltering operations, county health department services may be impacted as all staff works to provide evacuees with medical care in shelters. All closure announcements will be posted on our website and social media.

As of Oct. 10, Hurricane Michael is a Category 4 storm expected to bring high winds and heavy rain to Middle Georgia. Severe weather is expected to begin Wednesday.

NCHD encourages all residents to prepare for Hurricane Michael as it approaches Georgia:

Have a communication plan in place – include one contact that will not be in the storm.

NOAA NCHD County Weather Alerts

Evacuee Shelter Information

Local Red Cross Shelters

There are currently no Red Cross Shelters open within NCHD’s counties. To see all Red Cross Shelter locations, visit redcross.org/shelter.

Additional Shelter Locations

There are currently no additional shelters.

This information will be updated as shelters open.

Pet Shelter Information

There are currently no pet shelters. This information will be updated as animal shelters open.

Hotel/Motel Availability

Anyone visiting Georgia to avoid Hurricane Michael can call 1-800-VISIT-GA (1-800-847-4842) or visit www.exploregeorgia.org to check the availability of hotels/motels in their area.

Donations

Many people are interested in donating things like food, clothing and other items to help evacuees. While the thought is appreciated, it’s important to note, shelters can NOT accept home-cooked goods or other pre-cooked food delivered by third parties (this does not include deliveries placed at restaurants and delivered by restaurant staff). While this may sound harsh, this rule is in place to keep visiting evacuees safe from foodborne illnesses like norovirus, Salmonella, E. Coli and more.

Evacuees are already away from home and in a stressful situation, and illness can make an evacuation even worse. The best way to provide donations to evacuees is with gift cards to grocery stores and other general retailers. This will allow local Emergency Management Agencies to purchase exactly what is needed to support individual needs.

You can drop off your donations at:

No donations being accepted at this time.

Volunteering

The Central Georgia Medical Reserve Corps is recruiting practicing, retired, or otherwise employed medical, nursing, allied health, dental, public health, mental health and veterinary medicine volunteers, as well as non-health care volunteers wishing to serve in specific support roles. To apply online, visit SERVGA, the online website for volunteer registration for the state of Georgia. Volunteers should follow the instructions on the site, making sure to choose the Central Georgia Medical Reserve Corps under the list of volunteer organizations.

Traffic Information

Call 511 or visit 511ga.org. to receive the latest travel information about Georgia roads including notifications of road conditions, closures and contraflow.